Swan Queen and the Seven Plus Ducklings: Cold Nights in the Nest
by RegalSwan
Summary: Second story in SQ 7 Ducklings mini-series: It's been a month since Emma and Regina brought the latest edition home, and Regina remains worried about his health. Meanwhile, the teenagers are up to no good. When Eve does something especially against the rules, Regina becomes livid. But were Eve's actions motivated by good intentions? Will it lead to a bonding moment?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! This is the next story for the Swan-Mills 7+ Ducklings series. If you haven't read the first one, "Birds of a Feather," I recommend checking that out first. Anyway, this one will also be a few chapters...picks up shortly where we left off. **

**Also, I'm still looking for people interested in drawing a family portrait of these guys for the coverart. I have ideas, and I've sketched it a bit; I just don't have the skills to make it good. Message me if you're interested in helping me out.**

**Enjoy :)**

* * *

Nearly a month had passed since they brought Daniel Neal Swan-Mills home from the hospital. They had to leave him in the intensive care unit for three weeks before he was healthy enough to be discharged. Regina, who was now fully recovered, had only stayed a week. But every day after, she and Emma took shifts staying at the hospital with their little boy. She would not miss out on these precious moments, she had said to Emma, who of course agreed.

It was a cold, mid-November night, and Regina was stirring yet again. She was unable to sleep, for fear that the night's chill air would steal her son away. He was still so small and weak and she was afraid he wouldn't be able to keep himself warm. As she sat up in the bed, ready to jump over to the crib, Emma groaned and reached out to her.

"If you keep waking him just to stare at him," she mumbled without opening her eyes, "he'll never get the idea that this is sleepy time."

Regina simply huffed back. "I just want to make sure he's warm enough."

"'Gina," Emma tried to reason, "he has three blankets. We turned up the heat before bed. It's so warm in here that I'm sweating."

Despite her wife's rationale, Regina scooted over to the crib. She leaned her arms against the crib and looked down at their little boy. He was fast asleep. She wasn't surprised—Danny had been an easy sleeper since they'd brought him home. He didn't fuss or keep them up. In fact, he napped quite often and only woke when one of them picked him up to give him a bottle.

"You must be tired from all that fighting we went through, my little one," she whispered as she brushed a lock of hair out of his face. She felt Emma's touch on her shoulder.

"I'm just worried," Regina said, as Emma kissed her neck. "He hasn't grown much. I'm worried he's not going to fare well in the cold."

"Regina," Emma laughed, "it's not the Enchanted Forrest. We have insolated houses, heated driveways and modern medicine."

"You laugh all you want now, _Miss Swan_," she scolded, "but you'll be the one up with him when he catches a cold."

Emma rubbed Regina's shoulders and pulled her back to bed. "Honey, you're forgetting one fact," she said, only to see her wife's confusion. "He's a Swan-Mills—he's a fighter. And if he's not, well, he'll need to be to make it in this family."

Regina allowed herself to fall back into the safety of her wife's arms. Emma soothed her the rest of the night, as she did each and every night that Regina couldn't find sleep. No matter how many texts she sent during the day about how she wouldn't do it again or how tired she was, Regina knew Emma would always be there to hold her and talk away her worries until their morning alarms said no more.

* * *

Regina awoke feeling the chill of her empty bed. She popped up to check on her little boy, only to see he was gone. Panicking for a moment, she looked back to the nightstand to see the note that Emma had scrawled earlier, indicating she was downstairs feeding Danny.

She slipped on her robe, feeling no rush to get ready for work. She was still on maternity leave through the holiday. Though, being mayor still required her to keep up with paperwork and have phone conferences instead of in person meetings. Regina enjoyed having this time to stay with the younger twins and her baby boy. She slid down the staircase only to hear the bickering of her children.

"She's been in there for nearly an hour, Ma!" Eve cried, as Regina came into the kitchen and observed her teenage daughter was still wearing her pajama pants and undershirt.

Emma nodded, as she held the baby in one arm while she fed him. Before she could speak, her children kept demanding she do something.

"Yeah," Davie added in, "yesterday, I was late to first period because 'Ms. Perfect' decided she wanted to straighten her hair." He groaned. "Why can't we just get another bathroom?!"

Emma laughed out loud, almost jerking Danny from his bottle. "That's funny, kid. Your sister knows she has to share," she said, just as Regina came to kiss her on the forehead. "I'm sure she'll be out soon."

"Nope," Eve said, before quickly moving to the dishwasher and turning it on, "I'm taking matters into my own hands." She looked at Davie. "You flush the toilets, I'll handle this part."

Regina looked puzzled as she and Emma watched their two teenagers scramble about the house. Emma chuckled in admiration, but Regina was simply lost.

"What are they doing?" she asked her wife. But before Emma could answer, they heard the screams echo from the upstairs bathroom. Emma laughed a bit more. Cora, after chewing a bite of cereal, answered.

"They're turning on the appliances that mess with the hot water," she said, matter-of-factly, as if it was a normal occurrence.

Regina glared at her two children as they returned, both of them with a huge grin on their face. "Snitch!" Davie scolded his younger sister. Eve just rolled her eyes at the girl. "Must've gotten _that _trait from Grandma," she scoffed.

Though Regina wished to display her enjoyment of her daughter's sass, she angrily looked from one to the other. "And who taught you that?"

"Ma—," Cora muffled out just before Emma clasped her free hand over the girl's face. But it was too late.

"Oh did she now?" Regina asked, her glare turning toward her wife. "Emma, dear, is that why my showers inexplicably get cold? Not a piping problem or whatever you said the last time?"

"Yeah," Cora let out, "she says you take way too long and obsess about your looks."

Emma huffed at her young daughter, who was fairly oblivious to the amount of trouble she had sunken her in. Rose came into the kitchen, wearing a huge sweater and a hat.

"Thanks to you, freaks," she said, looking at her teenage siblings, "I have to go to school looking like this," she said, pointing out her outfit.

Eve and Davie just looked at each other. They both instantaneously went up for the high five. "Double points!" Eve exclaimed.

"Mooommm!" Rose cried to Regina, "They're horrible!" she pouted. "Punish them!"

Regina, would normally resolve a squabble like this by reprimanding all involved. But this time, it involved her shower time as well. "You're grounded," she said to just Eve and Davie, and then turned to Emma, narrowing her gaze. "_And_ you, too."

"Can't be grounded," Emma retorted, as she handed her the baby, "I'm working a double shift and that means the graveyard shift as well."

"Again?" Regina protested. "Why can't your father take it? It's not like he has a newborn."

"Well—," Emma said, but Regina continued, having remembered that he and Snow had mentioned trying for a baby.

"What about Neal?" she suggested. "He's a grown man and much better suited for night shifts."

"Are you saying I'm not capable of night shifts?" Emma asked.

Regina got a devilish glare in her eye as she began to kiss Emma. "I'm saying," she said, pausing for air between kisses, "you're needed much more at home—at night—with me."

Emma laughed. "Sorry, babe," she said, kissing Regina on the forehead. "I'll be home by dawn."

* * *

An hour or so after Emma had left with the kids to drop them off at school, Regina got out of a warm shower and began dressing for the day. She put on a pair of black slacks and a turtle neck, knowing from the frost on the window panes that it was cold.

"Hold still, Lila girl," Regina said, as she managed to pull her tiny hands through the pink fleece pullover. The twins were always especially fussy when separated, and Emma had taken Elliot with her for her hours before lunchtime, knowing that Regina would have a difficult time handling three babies at the doctor's office.

"There we go," she whispered to her daughter once she was finally dressed. She went over to the crib to scoop up Danny. She overdressed him in layers of onesies and put extra blankets in his carrier to compensate for the chill of the morning.

* * *

The hospital wasn't terribly crowded, which Regina saw as a relief. She didn't want any of the sick, diseased members of Storybrooke hacking and wheezing near her son. She had been nervous enough taking him out in this cold.

The nurse came out shortly after they arrived, calling their name. Regina scooped up both children and followed her into a room.

"Has he been sleeping and eating regularly," she asked, as she struggled to undo the bundle Regina had wrapped him in.

"Yes, surprisingly," Regina said. "He never wakes in the night—in fact, we haven't heard him cry at all," she said, mildly relieved that her eighth baby was relatively easy.

The nurse plopped him on the scale and scribbled down the number. "He's had trouble latching," Regina said, as she brushed her breast area. "So I've been pumping and Emma and I give him the bottle."

The nurse nodded, making a note of it. "Any problems with his bowels?"

"No," Regina shook her head. "Normal."

"Alright," the nurse said, as she laid Danny down on the cot, "Doctor Whale will be with you momentarily."

* * *

What were just a few short minutes seemed like hours. Regina didn't know why she was nervous. It was just a routine check-up. The nurse didn't seem alarmed by anything. But Regina had a bad feeling that just wouldn't go away.

"Regina," Dr. Whale said as he entered, extending his hand to hers. He swiftly moved to the baby. "And how is the littlest Swan-Mills?"

"Just fine," Regina said with a glow of pride. Doctor Whale reviewed the charts and then looked at the baby.

"Well, he hasn't gained much weight," he said, making Regina worry, "relax though—it's actually common for babies to lose some weight at first, given much of their early weight is water." He made a mark on the chart. "Still, I'd like to see him up to ten pounds by December."

Doctor Whale moved his hands to his stethoscope and listened to Danny's heartbeat. "How much does he sleep?"

"Most of the day, honestly," Regina said. "Sometimes we need to wake him to feed him."

"Hmm," Dr. Whale said as he wrote down more notes. "And what about his movements?"

"Movements?" Regina repeated. "Well, they're very subtle. He doesn't squirm much. He watches us though—he follows me with his eyes when I get his bottle."

"So his attention is good, yes?" Doctor Whale asked.

"Indeed," Regina said as she nodded. "He loves brightly colored objects."

Doctor Whale moved to gently lift the baby's head. He tested to see how stable it was on its own. But as soon as he removed his hold, Danny's head flopped down onto the pillow on the examining table.

"So I take it he hasn't lifted his head yet?" he asked, as he took a pencil and moved it to each side of Danny's head to see if he would turn.

"No," Regina said, a bit nervously, "but that's normal at one month, right?"

"Some babies do, some don't," he answered, "but most babies can turn their head when on a pillow." He pointed his pencil at Danny. "He seems to be struggling."

"What does that mean?!" Regina asked, startled by the news.

"Nothing yet," Doctor Whale said as he tried to calm her. "But we'll keep an eye on it. I'll want to see where he's at with other milestones as the months continue."

"Should I be worried?" Regina asked.

Doctor Whale shook his head. "Nothing to worry about," he calmed her, "don't forget—he's a premature baby. He's doing remarkably well all things considering."

But as Regina left the hospital, she only heard the bad news. And of course, she worked herself up into a frenzy.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys, thanks for the reviews! Here's chapter 2. Enjoy :)**

* * *

The sheriff's station was quiet as usual, so therefore it was no wonder that Emma held one of the darts in her hand as Elliot sat in the makeshift highchair she had configured from her desk chair. She tried placing the dart in his chubby little hand.

"Okay, Eli," she said, "all you gotta do is grab a hold of this," she said, curling his fingers around the dart, "and fling it toward that circle on the wall."

Elliot looked confused as he glanced between the dart in his hand and Emma. He decided it would be best to put the dart in his mouth.

"Nnno," she quickly said as she grabbed it from him. She wiped off the drool with a tissue. "Here, buddy," she said as she got in position, "like this."

Elliot clapped and giggled as he watched Emma nail the target with the dart. Emma smiled and took a bow for her audience. "And that is what Mama used to do to piss off Mommy," she said as she knelt down beside him. "The more she came in bitching and screaming about me doing paperwork, the more I'd play." He continued to giggle, but looked confused.

"Guess it finally taught Mommy a lesson, huh?" she said, but dug into her pocket to see Regina's name flash on her phone. "Speaking of Mommy," she said, before picking up. "Well, hello Madame Mayor," she answered just like she would in the old days. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

_"Emma_," her voice was desperate. Emma knew something was wrong, as she didn't play back with their little Sheriff and the Mayor game—Regina's favorite type of foreplay.

"Baby, what's up?" Emma asked.

_"That's just what's up,"_ Regina answered,_ "our baby—he's not—ugh, I don't know what to do."_

"Calm down, Regina," she said. "Where are you?"

_"Just got out of the appointment with Whale. You at the station still?"_

"Yes."

_"We'll be right there."_

* * *

As soon as Regina entered the office, Elliot reached out his hands toward his sister and Lila did the same. She fussed and started to cry, as Regina took time to put Danny's carrier down first before putting her next to her brother.

"They really are inseparable, aren't they?" Emma laughed as she and Regina watched the twins haphazardly hug each other the best they could.

"Tell me about it," Regina said, as she picked up Danny in her arms. "As soon as she heard your voice come in over the Bluetooth in the car, she squeaked saying 'Mama' and 'Elllwwyyy'."

Emma pulled up another chair for her wife and allowed her to sit. "So tell me what's going on with baby duck, huh?" she asked as she began to rub Regina's shoulders.

"It would seem that he's having trouble lifting his head," Regina explained, "and he can't yet turn his head, even when supported."

"He's only a month old," Emma said.

"Apparently he should be able to do the latter by now," Regina answered. She motioned for Emma to grab the bottle from her bag. "He sleeps so much, and hasn't grown much either," she sighed as she took the bottle. "You don't think this could have anything to do with what happened when he was born, do you?"

Emma shook her head. "They said he was fine," she sighed, and tried to sooth her nervous wife. "What did Doctor Whale say?"

Regina smiled down at Danny as he finally began sucking. "He said we'd have to keep an eye on it as the next few months go by."

Regina sighed with anxiety. Emma continued to rub her shoulders. "So that's what we'll do."

* * *

After Regina left with all three kids, Emma phoned her mother. She knew that despite a good back message, logical talk and her comfort, Regina was still a wreck over Danny's check-up. Her mother, wanting to help in any way she could, agreed to call Regina as soon as school let out. And after a few texts to the teenagers, they agreed to watch the little twins and Cora while Regina was out with Snow.

As soon as Regina walked into the diner, she spotted her mother-in-law. She picked up Danny's carrier higher and headed her way over to the booth.

"There's my tiniest grandson!" Snow cooed, taking the carrier from Regina as soon as they were in reach. "And how is my little man?"

"He's fine," Regina answered, "but we're concerned about some motor development issues."

"I know," Snow said soothingly, "Emma—"

"Called you," Regina finished her thought. She sat in silence for a moment as Snow rubbed her hands. "It's not enough that I was worried before!" she cried out. "Look at him—he's so small and helpless."

"Regina," Snow said, clasping their hands together. "He'll be fine. Listen to me," she said, looking directly into her eyes, "he has two of the strongest moms I know and tough siblings to boot….and if that's not good enough," she choked back tears as she got emotional, "his grandparents are Snow White and Prince Charming."

They both laughed as Snow continued to reassure her. "Besides, I'm sure he's fine," she said, "you watch and he'll be growing like a weed and running around giving Emma a heart attack as she tries to keep up."

Ruby came over, bringing them coffee. As soon as she set the mugs down, she looked over to little Danny and gently patted his brunette curls. She fawned over him and then looked at Snow.

"Isn't he the fucking cutest, Snow?" she asked, making Snow laugh. "When are you and Charming going to have another?"

"Well, actually—," she said, blushing and stirring her coffee.

"Oh my fucking god!" Ruby said, nearly dropping the coffee pot.

"You're pregnant?" Regina asked and Snow nodded. "How far along?"

"Just five weeks," Snow said. "We haven't really told anyone yet." And then it dawned on her. "Oh…Emma…you think she'll be happy, right?"

Regina didn't speak at first. "Of course, dear," she said. "Congratulations."

* * *

As Regina drove home, she thought about the newest load of stress put on her plate. _Great_—she thought—_Snow and David will be blissfully tooting around and I'll have to take care of Emma, who will be a conflicted little train wreck._

When she walked through the door to the mansion, she could only hope there wasn't a disaster waiting for her. She was surprised to see her teenagers at the kitchen table, doing homework, while the youngest twins colored from their highchairs. Cora walked a plate of snacks—surprisingly healthy ones—over to the table and sat to join the group.

"Hi Mom!" came from all of her children, with the exception of the toddlers, who were busy drawing.

"Hello darlings," she said, as she put down Danny's carrier and lifted the sleeping boy into her arms. "How was school?"

They all answered with common remarks. Regina walked up behind Rose and saw she was studying her math textbook.

"Sweetheart," she said, addressing the blonde, "how was your exam today?"

Rose beamed in delight, which shocked Regina, as she knew the girl struggled with math. "I didn't have it today!"

"Why not?" Regina asked.

Davie laughed under his breath until Eve jabbed him in the stomach with her elbow. "For some reason, our teacher was acting weird today," Rose explained. "She reviewed the material, like she did yesterday, and said the test was tomorrow."

"Hmm," Regina let out.

"In fact," Rose went on, "all of my teachers were acting strange today. A lot of repeat notes from yesterday."

"Well, that is odd," Regina said, "but now you can study a bit more, right?"

"Yeah," Rose smiled. "I was so worried, but honestly, the extra day really does help."

Regina kissed the top of Rose's head. As she did, she couldn't help but notice Davie's chuckles and Eve's desperately averted glances.

"And what about you two?" Regina asked, a hint of suspicion in her voice. "How were your days?"

Davie and Eve tossed each other glances. "Fine," they mumbled out in unison.

Regina shifted her gaze to the miniature, but derelict version of herself. She narrowed her eyes to slits as she stared at Eve. _Don't flinch_—Eve thought.

Regina slowly pointed a finger at Eve. After years of being married to Emma Swan, she had picked up on some of her lie detecting skills.

"Evelyn," she said sternly. She didn't need to say anything more. She had her. And Eve knew it.

"Damn it!" she groaned as she pulled the crumpled pink slip of paper from the pocket of her ripped jeans. Regina closed her eyes, shook her head, and simply held her hand out with fingers curling, beckoning the teen to hand it over.

"What now?" she asked as Eve handed over the note. "Did you get caught smoking behind the school _again_?!"

"Not—," she began, as Regina read the paper, "—exactly."

A deep scowl grew on Regina's face as she read the note. She glanced back and forth between her daughter and the paper. Eve flinched, expecting her to yell and scream. She expected her to enter into a tirade and a lecture, reprimanding her while saying things like, _'I don't understand—how can someone who's so smart do such dumb things?!"_ But Regina did nothing of the sort. Instead, she looked to her two other teenagers.

"David, Rose?" she asked, calling their attention. "Take the twins and Danny upstairs and continue your homework up there, will you?" They nodded. She looked down to her young daughter. "Cora, you too."

As the children vacated the room, Eve grew more nervous, as she'd never seen her mother act this way when she was upset. Once they were gone, Regina put her hand to her forehead and continued to deal with the emotional headache her daughter was giving her.

Eve slowly rose, unsure if she should leave as well. But her mother, without looking, told her otherwise.

"Sit," she said.

Rose immediately sat back down, unsure of what to do. Once she was certain her siblings were out of earshot, she began defending herself. "I was just trying it out, Mom," she said, "I heard Mr. Gold talking about that type and it sounded—".

"Don't—," Regina began to raise her voice, "—even dare try to defend your actions."

"But, Mom—"

"No!" Regina barked back. She allowed some silence after to ensure that Eve knew she was serious. "I can't believe you actually used magic!—after all the stories your mother and I have told you?"

"I know it was stupid," Eve said.

"Do you?!" Regina demanded. "Do you even realize what you could have done?!" Eve opened her mouth to speak, but Regina wasn't finished. "Playing with time is not child's play, Eve. It's not like forming a fireball or manipulating objects or like any of the other things that your mother and I let you do with our supervision."

"I know, but—"

"No, you don't," Regina protested. "This kind of magic involves other people. Manipulating their sense of time. Tell me, Eve, what would you have done if you altered it by months instead of a day, hmm?" she asked. "What about years!?"

"I wouldn't have messed it up," Eve answered, sure of herself.

"Don't be stupid," Regina spat back. She said this, though, she knew her daughter to be right, most likely. She knew her child was exceptionally gifted and grasped even the most challenging of tasks in a moment. But her daughter's arrogance would not be tolerated.

"You're irresponsible, selfish, and as smart as you are," she scolded, "you're immaturity holds you back."

Eve sunk her head. Regina was at her whit's end. "Enough—go to your room," she ordered, "I'll discuss your punishment with your mother when she gets home."

As Eve left the kitchen, Regina rubbed her temples. Another thing to worry about.


End file.
